Bonds lower after quiet night

Australian bond futures prices are slightly lower, with thin volumes and little domestic data or global events to move markets.

At 0830 AEST on Wednesday, the September 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.740 (implying a yield of 3.260 per cent), down from 96.780 (3.220 per cent) at Tuesday's close.

The September three-year bond futures contract was at 97.220 (2.780 per cent), down from 97.270 (2.730 per cent.)

Nomura rates strategist Martin Whetton said there had been little movement in the Australian bond market on Tuesday night, despite the release of much-watched growth figures in the euro zone.

"The market didn't do anything last night, and we're going to have a pretty quiet day today," he said.

The euro zone experienced a contraction of 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, according to gross domestic product (GDP) numbers released on Tuesday (European time).

Growth was better than expected in France and Germany, while sharp contractions were reported in other countries.

On Wednesday, data such as the Westpac/Melbourne Institute survey of consumer confidence would be important to watch, Mr Whetton said.

"Numbers like that are important to watch," he said.

"We want to see if payments like the Carbon Tax rebate or the Queensland Flood levy are having an impact on spending and confidence."

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